Murless head extractor; obstetrical vectis, England c. 1948-1980

Murless head extractor, a type of vectis with moveable blade, stainless steel and aluminium, by Allen and Hanburys Ltd., English, 1920-1980, probably about 1948-1980

The Murless head extractor is a lever-type instrument. It alters the position of the baby’s head. It is a contemporary variation of a simple obstetrical instrument called a vectis. However, the Murless head extractor is specifically used in caesarean section operations. It is named after its inventor, B. C. Murless, of Durban in South Africa. He devised the instrument in 1948. It is still used. Obstetrics is the branch of medicine dealing with the care of pregnant women, childbirth and recovery after childbirth.